"Lightning style, huh?" Kenjibachi guessed, surveying the shuriken pinned in a tree trunk that almost took his head off, had he not moved at just the right time. "Who did you learn that handy trick from?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, but smiled at him playfully. "Just like any shinobi, you're so full of yourself, Kenji."

"Can you blame me for being proud of my unofficial student? Because as your unofficial teacher, I think you just gave me a run for my ryō. You're getting stronger," Kenji said, with a big-brother kind of smile. "That shuriken vibrated like electricity that time. Charging a weapon using chakra like that, it seems you've mastered the basic lightning style technique."

"You shinobi and your overly complicated ways of explaining simple things," Hotaru remarked. "All I did was throw something at something."

"Whatever it is you call it, you're good at it...too good," Kenji grinned, inspecting the buzzing shuriken in his hands. "Most ninja from our village use Earth style, like me. You'd be hell to reckon with if you can master both chakra natures. Why again did you never become a shinobi?"

"Because I can't seem to follow orders," Hotaru smirked, sending another shuriken soaring an inch from Kenji's nose. "So, if you're here to tell me how good I am at screwing up, my father already beat you to it. He hasn't spoken to me since the matchmaking ritual."

Kenji laughed. "So no match for you, huh? Why am I not surprised?"

"Maybe because I wasn't gonna marry some clan leader to begin with," Hotaru said, practicing throwing four shuriken at once. "I got other plans. Like finding that damn scroll of Forbidden Techniques."

"If it even exists," Kenji remarked.

"So what do you say, Kenji?" she asked. "Don't you think it's about time we ditched the village and went on another mission?"

Kenji chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're like a little sister to me, Taru. I hate that I missed so much time with you while I was away in the Hidden Rock Village," he said. "I wish I could take you on all my adventures. But I can't do that anymore. I'm not as reckless as I used to be. I can't put you in any danger."

"Because you're working for the Tsuchikage now? Or because you're just a big fat scaredy bee?" she challenged him.

"I'm a scaredy bee, for sure," he agreed playfully. "Never as brave as you."

"Well that's only news to one of us," Hotaru teased him. "So what's the real story then? Have you left the Tsuchikage's office and come back to the village?"

Kenji smiled softly, and Hotaru couldn't help but notice something sad about it.

He sighed, choosing his words carefully.

"I came to say goodbye, Taru," he said. "I'm going on a mission. And I don't think I'm coming back from it."

"You'll come back," Hotaru said. "Because if you don't, I'll drag you back here myself. Besides, you just got here. How can you be leaving already?"

"It's my father," Kenji said. "I haven't stopped looking for him. I've been studying his diary scrolls for clues. I think he might have gone missing somewhere in the Sora-Ku forest. But I can't know for sure unless I look into it myself. And when I do, I'm bringing him back to the village to challenge Daku."

"But your father is a-"

"Rogue, I know," Kenji finished her sentence. "Nonetheless, he's still my father. He left me his scrolls for a reason. He wanted me to find him when the time was right. Because I know he wanted peace for all bug clans, and if he's alive, he hasn't given up on it."

"But how do you know that? No one knows for sure what happened to Kaitobachi," Hotaru said. "What if he really was working as a spy in the village?"

"Even if he was, I know he had a good reason for it," Kenji answered. "He wanted the hatred to stop. He would never approve of what's going on in the clan now."

"Are you criticizing my father's way of handling things?" Hotaru demanded. "Kaitobachi was a traitor! He was working underground with the Aburame to attack our clan. And my father had no choice but to put him down."

"He is the rightful leader of the Kamizuru clan. Misakibachi chose him over Daku for a reason. Maybe he had a reason for not killing Shibi Aburame. Maybe when he saw the chance to take vengeance against our enemy clans, he showed mercy instead, because it meant peace for both clans, not just ours. It's not my father who should be exiled as a rogue ninja. It's Daku."

"How dare you," Hotaru checked him. "It's not my father responsible for the rift in this clan. It's people like you. How can we expect peace if we can't even stop fighting ourselves?"

"Because I refuse to side with a leader who puts his revenge before his own daughter," Kenji said. "Look at what Daku has done to the clan since my father was exiled. Look at what he's made you do for more power."

"And you expect me to just stand by and let you turn against him like this?" Hotaru questioned. "He has done everything to protect this clan."

"I hate Daku more than anything for what he did to my family," Kenji said. "I would have taken my revenge years ago, but I never did because of you. Because I couldn't stand to see the look you'd give me when I defeated your father in battle. But I know your heart better now, Hotaru. I know you will see what I see too. And when you do, you don't have to choose your father's way of doing things. Join me and the other bug user clans and fight for real peace. Enough of Daku's way of doing things."

"Kenji," Hotaru said, conflicted. "If peace means letting some enemy clan force us into oppression, then I don't want peace. I'd rather be feared than compliant."

Kenji's hand reached up to touch Hotaru's cheek, taking her by surprise.

"Then so be it. Today, we choose our different paths, my Taru. Even if we want the same dreams," he told her gently. "But I have faith that no matter where we go from here, our paths will cross again some day, and we'll be fighting on the same side."

"Kenji, please don't go," Hotaru pleaded. "I don't want to have to choose sides between you and my clan."

"Whatever side you choose, I will always be there for you, Taru. Always," Kenji said. "Please be careful while I'm gone, and don't forget everything I taught you. The time may come when you need it."

"Kenji-"

"I will come back to enjoy peace with you. I promise, Taru."

Kenji nodded reassuringly to her.

Then he turned away from her, leaving her on the path back to the village, while he went the opposite way.

"Kenji, wait. I'm coming with you-"

But her words were cut off when the shuriken she'd thrown earlier whizzed inches pass her ear, piercing into Kenji's shoulder.

He cried out in pain, turning back around to face the coward who had attacked him from behind.

He found him.

A hooded figure with bushy black hair, sunglasses, and a Leaf headband, emerging from the forest.

"He's from the Aburame clan," Kenji cried. "Taru, run! Warn the village!"

"I am Shino Aburame of the Leaf," the ninja said. "It's over for you."

Kenji held his bleeding shoulder tightly, his head spinning from the heavy blood loss.

"I have..." His breathing was labored. "No hatred...against you Aburame...please let Hotaru go...if you want someone to fight...I'll let you have your revenge...just leave her out of this."

"It's fine by me, if she wants to watch you die first," the ninja answered coldly, as his bugs expelled from his body.

Kenji thought fast, deciding that he needed to trap the aggressor with his bugs quickly before anyone else got hurt.

"Rock Hive Jutsu!"

But his calm, icy opponent was faster.

"Insect Tornado."

"Kenji!"

Helpless to stop it, Hotaru watched as her friend was ripped apart by the spiraling attack of beetles.

She didn't make it to his side until the Aburame ninja withdrew his beetles, leaving Kenji fatally wounded on the ground.

"This isn't enough for me," Shino said. "I won't be satisfied until I have your village too. Consider yourselves warned."

And just as quickly as he'd appeared, he seemed to vanish like a ghost into the forest.

"Go, Hotaru. Get out of here. That Aburame ninja could still be waiting nearby," he said.

But Hotaru didn't care what that ninja did to her. She refused to leave her comrade behind.

"I'm not leaving you like this," Hotaru unscrewed a bug jar and released a bumble bee from inside it. "Go find a medical ninja! Hurry!"

"Hotaru...you have to find my father...Take his scrolls and go to Sora-Ku..."

"No, Kenji, you're going to find him," Hotaru said in tears, using her own scarf to try to stop the bleeding. But there were too many wounds to treat. "You're going to be ok. And when you're better, you can tell me all about it later. I promise. Just focus on breathing right now until the medical nin get here."

"I'm counting on you...Taru...he will... explain... everything..."

They were the last words Kenji would ever speak to her.

"Kenji? Kenji, wake up!" Hotaru cried. "Kenji, you have to go find your father! Kenji! Your father is waiting for you! You can't give up on me!"

But Hotaru didn't have time to process what was happening before she heard the village's police force running up to her.

"What's this?"

"Lord Kenji is dead!"

"Arrest that girl! She murdered Lord Kenji!"

"That girl is a traitor!"

"Wait," Hotaru cried, as they dragged her away from Kenji's body and threw her along with them on the path back to the village. "I didn't kill him! We were attacked by an Aburame ninja! You have to find who killed Kenji! Let go of me! I didn't do this! That Abruame ninja is still out there!"

"Abruame clan, huh? We'll just see what Lord Daku thinks about that story."